


For You Alone

by RovingRomy



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Cassandra also makes a brief appearance, F/M, post ep, takes place between episodes 81 and 82
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 11:50:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9606425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RovingRomy/pseuds/RovingRomy
Summary: Keyleth's father follows Vox Machina to Whitestone after the battle with Thordak, and Keyleth has something she wants to ask him.





	

It’s one of the guards patrolling the space between the city and the castle who first sees the Sun Tree open. It’s early in the afternoon, and a slight fog still hangs in the air, the late winter weather warmer than it had been the day before, and the guard has to squint to be sure of what he’s seeing. Had he not seen Vox Machina walk into and out of that tree so many times now he would have simply thought he was imagining things. But he knows now for certain that he’s not.

So he tells his superior who walks down to the tree to see exactly what’s going on. He then tells _his_ superior, who alerts the head guard on shift. It’s the head guard who goes to Cassandra with the news that someone has come through the Sun Tree and to deliver the message that had been sent.

It’s Cassandra, accompanied by another guard, who goes to knock on Keyleth’s door.

The sound awakens Vax, but not Keyleth, who doesn’t even stir. She’s sleeping so deeply that were it not for the fact that he could feel her chest rising and falling against his hand, where it rests between her breasts, his fingers wrapped around hers, he might worry she was dead.

He’s not sure if he should answer it. Right now, Vex is the only one he’s certain knows about his relationship with Keyleth. By no means would he mind everyone else knowing, but it’s not something he and Keyleth have discussed, and he isn’t sure how she feels about the matter.

But he’s also pretty sure that everyone would know well enough not to knock unless it was important. They had just taken down Thordak and then lost a fight against another dragon and they needed their rest. There was no way anyone in the castle, or even the city for that matter, would be rude or stupid enough to disturb them if it wasn’t an urgent matter.

Vax moves away from Keyleth slowly, pulling his arm out from under her head and leaving the bed. She turns with him as he pulls away, letting out a quiet whine as she reaches for him in her sleep. It’s the first time she’s moved since he’d gathered her up in his arms hours earlier, and a twinge of regret hits him, and he finds himself wishing he had just ignored the knock on the door.

But he’s out of bed now, so he reaches for one of the plain white robes that were in every room of the castle. He pauses for a moment, remembering the last time he had pulled on a robe after being roused from his sleep by a knock on the door. He tries to remember what Allura told them about Rakshasas, tried to remember how long they had until Hotis was something they had to worry about, then shook the concern from his head. Even if the demon had returned from the Nine Hells, Vax imagined he was at least smart enough not to try the same method twice.

Placing his hand on the handle of the door, he braces himself, knowing that whoever is on the other side might be shocked to see him in Keyleth’s room. But when he opens the door, he finds Cassandra on the other side, her face placid and completely unsurprised by his presence, so much so that Vax wonders if maybe they had retired to his room and he forgot. No, he thinks back. They’re definitely in Keyleth’s room. He remembers coming in, finding her sitting dejectedly on the bed, tossing his stuff on the vanity next to her charred circlet.

But Cassandra’s face remains completely blank and unperturbed, not a hint of shock or confusion, or even curiosity, showing. The guard the guard standing next to her is predictably stone faced, not even looking directly at Vax.

“Is Keyleth awake?” Cassandra asks, her voice low.

“Um,” Vax mumbles out, looking back at Keyleth, laying on her side, her hands clutching at the sheets in the spot he had occupied a few moments earlier.

“She’s kind of out cold. Is it important?”

“Her father is here,” she responds. “He came through the Sun Tree.”

“Korren is here?” he asks, trying to keep the nervous tremor from his voice as he pokes his head out of the door, just a bit, looking down the hallway. He likes Korren, knows he’s a good man and he gets the sense that maybe Korren likes him, too. But he’s still Keyleth’s father, and he desperately wants to make a good impression, to prove his intentions are honorable. He isn’t exactly eager about the prospect of being found sharing a bed with the man’s only daughter.

Cassandra’s austere mask cracks, just a bit, one corner of her mouth lifting into a subtle smirk. “He’s not in the castle,” she says. “He’s down by the Sun Tree.”

“Oh,” he responds, letting out a tense breath. “Okay. I’ll wake up Kiki. Let her know.”

She watches him for a brief moment, looking almost amused, before slipping back into a more serious expression. “I can leave a guard here to escort her when she’s ready.”

Vax eyes the guard standing beside her. “That’s okay. I’m sure she knows the way.”

“Very well. I’m sorry to have woken you.”

“No, it’s all right. Thanks, Cass.”

Cassandra nods, the simple motion very sophisticated and regal, and walks away, the guard following her.

Vax closes the door, turning back to the bed to watch Keyleth as she sleeps. He knows how exhausted she was after the fight and very badly does not want to wake her up. But he knows that Korren is probably worried, and that even if she had other things on her mind, that Keyleth is probably worried, too.

He moves back to the bed, shedding his robe on the way, sitting on the edge on what’s become his side, pushing a now much shorter strand of hair behind Keyleth’s shoulder, trailing his hand down her arm and then over her back.

“Kiki,” he says, trying to gently rouse her.

She groans, turning her face into the pillow for a moment before reaching her hand out, wrapping it around his knee and pulling herself close to him, burying her face in the side of his thigh.

He can’t help the chuckle that escapes him, or the feeling of warmth and happiness that swells in his chest. It’s such an ordinary thing, sitting here, trying to wake her up, the feeling of her face pressing into his leg. But that’s what makes it so wonderful. After all of the struggle, all of the doubts and uncertainty, and all of the things that make it seem like the universe either wants them dead or separated, such a simple, normal moment… it means everything.

“Kiki,” he repeats, shaking her shoulder just the slightest bit. She takes in a deep breath, turning her head to look up at him as her eyes slowly drift open.

“Hmmm? Vax?” She squints at him, her hand stroking his knee absent-mindedly. “What time is it?”

“It’s still pretty early in the day,” he tells her. “I’m sorry to wake you. I know you’re tired. But your father is here.”

Keyleth’s eyes widen, and suddenly she doesn’t seem so tired. “My father’s here?” she repeats, her voice tense and nervous.

“Yeah, he’s waiting out by the Sun Tree.”

She sits up, pulling her knees up to her chest. It’s a position Vax has come to know well, a protective position, that she ends up in when she’s feeling unsure and scared.

“Kiki,” he says, stroking her back with comforting strokes. “Are you all right?” He’s a bit confused, as he thought she’d be happy to know that her father was alive and well, but she’s just sitting there, her body rigid, her eyes wide and filling with tears.

“No. I don’t…” she sighs, swiping angrily at a tear as it falls down her cheek. “Vax…” she looks at him then, a sort of pleading, frightened look on her face.

“Hey,” he says, trying to keep the sudden alarm he’s feeling out of his voice. “What’s going on?”

“He’s going to be so disappointed in me.”

“No. Why would he be disappointed in you?” Vax scoots closer to her, cupping a cheek in one hand and sliding his other over her legs an around to her back, pulling her into him.

“Raishan got away. I let her get away. I failed.”

“You didn’t fail, Keyleth,” he tells her, hoping to remind her of the talk they’d had earlier in the morning. “You helped to take down Thordak. And we’re going to take care of Raishan.”

She’s silent, shifting to lean her forehead against his shoulder, her arms wrapping around him.

“He’s your father, Kiki,” he whispers into her ear. “He loves you. He’s probably worried because he didn’t get to see you after the fight and he doesn’t know if you’re okay. Raishan getting away is the last thing on his mind, I promise you.”

He feels her nod, her face burrowing into his neck. One of her hands moves up his back, finding the scar that rests between his shoulder blades, fitting her fingers and palm into their match. Vax loves when she does that, loves being reminded that he has her mark on him, forever, marking him as hers, a piece of her that he can carry with him everywhere.

He’s pretty sure that she used to hate the scar, remembering only the fact that it had caused him physical pain when it happened. But he’s noticed that over time, and especially recently, her hand seems to gravitate there when they’re holding each other, sometimes fitting her hand into its spot and pressing into it, sometimes using her fingers to trace its edges. The closer they’ve gotten to each other the more she seems to be drawn to the mark.

Finally, Keyleth pulls back, just a bit, and smiles at him, though he can tell it’s a strained smile. “You’re right,” she says. “And I’m glad he’s here. I was worried.”

Vax leans in, placing a light kiss on her lips. “Just remember… he may be the headmaster of your tribe, but he’s your father. From everything I’ve seen, that comes first for him.”

She nods, pressing her hand into the scar on his back one more time and dropping a kiss on his cheek before climbing out of bed. “Should I… get dressed?” she asks, looking down at what she had worn to bed. One of Vax’s shirts hangs off of her, the collar gaping to reveal the curve of one shoulder, the bottom hitting her in the middle of her thigh.

“Well, you probably shouldn’t go out there wearing just that,” he responds, smiling fondly at her. He stands, picking up the robe he had worn to answer to door and holding it open for her to slip into. “But don’t waste time getting all dolled up. He just wants to see you. I doubt he cares what you’re wearing.” He pulls he ends of her much shorter hair out of the robe. “I bet he’ll be surprised by your hair.”

A giggle erupts from her as one of her hands comes up to pull at a messy strand of hair. “He definitely will be. I’ve never cut my hair in my life. I don’t remember a time that it wasn’t down to my waist.”

“Well,” he says. “It looks good on you. But I pretty much think everything looks good on you.”

Keyleth blushes, kissing him one last time before pulling away, walking toward the door. “Go back to sleep,” she tells him. “You don’t have to wait up.”

Vax nods at her as he motions her to go, but he knows he will.

* * *

Keyleth’s thoughts are a swirling mess as she walks toward the Sun Tree. Her steps are slow and hesitant. She wants to work through the muddled mess in her head, to know what she’s going to say to her father before she gets down there, but there’s too much going on up there, too much worry and fear and she can’t think straight.

Stopping for a moment, she closes her eyes, thinking of Vax’s words, trying to draw strength from everything he’d said to her earlier in the morning and before she left the room. She thinks of his arms around her, and the mark on his back, the one that reminds her of how wholly he’s given himself to her.

She used to hate the scar. Every time she saw it, every time she so much as thought about it all she could hear was the scream he’d let loose as she’d pressed her burning hand into him. She couldn’t fathom why he’d wanted to keep the scar, why he’d gotten upset at his sister for trying to heal it. The only thing it made her think of was that she’d caused him pain.

It was something that she’d shied away from, that scar, but as time went on she realized that it was precious to him, and she realized that it was to her, too. He’d kept it because it was _her_ handprint, her mark. He’d kept it because it meant that a piece of her would always be with him. He’d kept it because it meant he was hers.

The fact that he’d kept it, that he wanted that reminder there, to him and everyone, that he was hers, has meant so much to her, and it's become something she's started looking to when she feels scared or uncertain, because it reminds her that no matter what she feels, Vax is always sure of her and that he always loves her.

After they found Tiberius she’d started thinking about how she’d like to have something herself, something that marked her as Vax’s, that would always be there to remind her and everyone else that she was his, no matter what happened.

She’d known instantly that, as an Ashari, there was definitely one option open to her in that regard, but she also knew it would be a very serious, important decision to make, and she knew that she had to be sure.

She thinks she might be sure now.

As her thoughts turn to the present, she realizes that she’s almost upon the tree. She can see her father standing there in the distance, straight and tall against the afternoon sun. She curses herself for getting caught up in thoughts of Vax instead of thinking of what to say to her father. But as she get closer her mind goes blank. She can see that he took some injuries in the fight. There’s a long gash covering his cheek, and his hand is wrapped in a bandage. But other than that he seems to be okay, and a rush of emotion surges up in her, the fear she had felt at discovering something horrible vanishing. She breaks into a run, trying to fight the tears that are already starting to cloud her vision. She can see her father’s composure breaks when he spots her, and while he doesn’t make quite the display she’s making, he starts moving toward her quickly, his arms opening when he reaches to pull her to him.

“Daddy,” she cries into his chest, clutching at his robes.

“Are you all right?” he asks, his hands running over her hair, her back, trying to make sure she isn’t hurt.

Keyleth nods, pulling back to look up at him. “I’m fine. We’re all fine.” She decides not to tell him about how she almost died, falling into the lava, only barely being able to pull herself out, or about how close Vax had come to death, or the fact that Vex and Scanlan _had_ died. Like she said, she’s fine. They’re all fine, and telling him anything more would just lead him to worry.

“Are you-?” she asks, eyeing the wound on his cheek.

He smiles weakly at her, trying to be reassuring. “I have a few injuries, but they’re minor. I’m fine.”

Her hands shake as she nods, swallowing hard as she focuses her eyes on his chest. “And the other Ashari who came to fight? Are they all… Did any of them…?”

“There were a few serious injuries,” Korren says, his voice stoic. “But nobody has died.” He leaves it at that, but Keyleth can hear his unsaid ‘yet’.

He looks past her face, to the side a bit, and brings his hand up, his fingers touching the ends of her hair, much shorter than it had been the last time he saw her.

“One too many fights where fire was a problem,” she says, trying to keep her tone light. “Kind of got… burned off.”

“It suits you,” he says simply.

She steps back, wiping at her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to find you, but… I was scared of what I might find.”

“I understand,” he tells her. “I confess, I didn’t come sooner because I feared the same thing.”

She looks down at her feet, not wanting to tell him the other reason she was afraid to see him.

“Keyleth?” he asks, his hand coming up to touch her elbow. It’s a simple touch, but it’s unbelievably comforting, and she closes her eyes for just a moment, imagining she’s back in Zephra, before she left for her Aramente, before she was chosen to follow her father as headmaster, when she was just a child, sitting next to her daddy at the edge of a cliff, watching the birds fly through the air.

Her eyes drift open, and she’s back in Whitestone, back standing with her father in the middle of the once ruined city that she and her friends had saved, suddenly feeling a few hundred years older. “We killed Thordak,” she tells him, her voice flat.

Korren smiles, a wider smile than she’s seen on him in a long time, pride beaming from his face. “I know.”

“But Raishan, the green dragon, the one who betrayed the Fire Ashari. She got away.”

“I’m sorry,” he responds, his hand stroking at her arm comfortingly.

“I was worried you might… be disappointed in me.”

“Why would I be disappointed in you? You defeated the monster that has been a scourge on this land.”

“But Raishan is the one who betrayed the Ashari and she got away.”

“Keyleth,” her father says, taking her face between his hands in the same way he used to when she was a child. “You and your friends have done an incredible thing. You have saved so many people. Do not let one setback overshadow that.”

She nods, trying to take his words to heart. His guidance had led to some amazing things in her life recently, so she tries to memorize what he’s said, so that they’re emblazoned on her mind, there to guide her even when he isn’t.

“But she’s still out there,” Keyleth continues. “With Thordak’s body. And two eggs.”

“Well then,” he says, a small smile on his face. “Are you going to do something about it?”

Squaring her shoulders, she looks him in the eye, wanting to make him proud. “Damn right we are.”

He chuckles, pulling her in to a warm hug. She wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and breathing in, taking his scent into her memory.

“And everyone else is okay? All of your friends?” Korren asks, pulling away, his hands coming to rest just below her shoulders.

“Yeah. Everyone is okay.” She leaves it at that, not telling him about everything that had happened, that Vex and Scanlan would be dead right now were it not for Pike, that she and Vax had both come close themselves. She knows he’s already worried about her, being out in the world without him. There's no need to worry him more.

“And Vax'ildan?” he asks, his tone knowing.

Keyleth blushes, feeling very much the teenager she never got to be. “Vax is fine,” she stutters out. “He’s sleeping right now. I mean he should be. I told him not to wait up.” It all comes out of her mouth in a nervous ramble before she can stop it, and she cringes, realizing exactly what can be inferred from what she’s said.

She isn’t sure how exactly she’s expecting him to react, but when she looks up at him he doesn’t look angry, or upset. He look a bit amused, the corners of his lips turned up, but also a bit concerned, the space between his brows creasing just a bit.

“Does he take good care of you?” he asks her, his thumbs stroking at her shoulders.

Keyleth’s nerves and embarrassment settle, thinking of how much Vax cares for her, his faith in her, and how much he shows it.

“We take care of each other,” she tells him.

It seems to be a good answer. The furrow between his brow smooths out and his smile grows, just a bit, a hint of pride behind his eyes. “As it should be,” he responds.

Keyleth thinks of her mother, and the way she used to smile at her father. The way they used to look at each other, and whisper to each other, laughing at private jokes, their fingers tangling together. Kisses pressed to cheeks, hands trailing absentmindedly across shoulder, eyes meeting from across the room. She used to wonder if she’d ever have anything like what her parents had, if she’d ever be that happy with another person, and then, after her mother disappeared, after witnessing her father’s pain and living through her own, hoping that she never would, that she’d never love someone like that because if she didn’t love them it wouldn’t hurt to lose them.

_You were foolish_ , she tells herself, thinking of Vax, the feeling of his arms around her, his lips on hers. How, even now, it’s like she can still feel him, still feel his presence, always next to her, always supporting her. Always loving her.

Forever.

“Dad?” she says, coming to a decision she’d been thinking over for awhile.

“Hmmm?”

“As headmaster you can give members of the tribe new markings?” It’s something she knows for certain, something any Ashari would know, but she says it like a question, nervously broaching the subject.

“Of course,” Korren says, his voice confused, but curious.

“I was wondering if… if maybe you could… give me the mark of tamau?” She can feel the heat flooding her face as it turns red, and she looks at the ground, unsure of what she’ll see on her father’s face when she looks at him, and afraid of what his reaction might be.

He’s silent for a long time, but she can feel him watching her. “The mark of tamau?” he repeats eventually, his voice quiet.

Keyleth nods, finally looking up at him. His face is slightly concerned, but the corners of his lips are upturned.

“I know it’s unorthodox,” she starts to ramble, needing to fill the silence. “To get it before actually having a binding ceremony, but it’s not like it’s against the rules or anything. And I know people have done it before. I mean, in the Earth Ashari, at least, there were a few people who had the mark who hadn’t had the ceremony yet, and I just…” she trails off, staring at her feet again, feeling silly.

“It’s certainly something that can be done. As you said, there are no rules against it.” Korren meets her frenzied, nervous words with a quiet, measure tone. “But it’s not something to be done  lightly. It’s a permanent marking that cannot be undone.”

“I’m not taking it lightly,” she responds sharply, looking up at him. “I’ve actually been thinking about it for awhile. I’m sure now.”

He studies her silently for a moment that stretches on and on. She keeps looking at him, knowing how serious this is, how important it is, and knowing that she needs to show how certain she is.

“You love him? Vax'ildan?”

“I do,” Keyleth replies without hesitation.

“And he loves you?”

“Yes.”

“You’re certain?”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

“And you’re sure there’s a future for you two?”

She nods. “When I return to Zephra I intend to bring him with me.”

He continues to watch her, his eyes soft, but wondering, the slight furrow of his brow showing how hard he’s trying to come to a decision.

“There aren’t a lot of things I’m sure of,” she starts, knowing the weight of what she’s asking. “I doubt myself all the time. I’ve never thought that I was good enough to be headmaster and I still don’t know if I ever will be. Sometimes I don’t even feel like I’m good enough to be part of this group, to be with my friends. I second guess myself and I always feel like I’m doing the wrong thing. I don’t see myself as a leader, or a hero, or even someone who’s worth much of anything.”

Korren’s eyes fill with sadness as he listens to her. She knows that her father has always been aware of the fact that she was worried about becoming headmaster, that she didn’t always have faith in herself. But this is the first time he’s hearing how desperate her fear is, how much her doubt consumes her, and Keyleth can see that it’s not something he ever expected, that hearing how she feels about herself is breaking his heart.

“But Vax… he makes it better somehow. He knows I have my faults and that I make mistakes sometimes but he still thinks I’m… he thinks I’m amazing. The faith he has in me is unconditional. Even when I’ve done things that I thought for sure would make him doubt me, he never has. What he sees when he looks at me… I still have doubts about myself, but he makes me feel stronger. He makes me feel like maybe one day I could be what I’ve always hoped I would be.”

She stops briefly, taking in a shaky breath and blinking back the tears she hadn’t realized had formed. “He makes me happy. He’s kind and generous. And he makes me laugh. He gives so much of himself to every thing he does. He gives so much of himself to me.”

Their eyes meet, and through the tears that are still swimming in her eyes she can see that her father is also fighting back tears, a soft smile pulling at his lips. He reaches up, grasping the back of her head as he presses a kiss to her forehead. When he pulls back he brings his hand to her cheek, bringing his other hand up to push aside the collar of the robe, just a bit, so that he can feel her heartbeat, placing his hand over the spot and closing his eyes, concentrating.

Keyleth can feel her father’s magic flowing through her as it marks her skin. It doesn’t hurt, but she feels the pressure of the spell in the spot where his hand rests. She smiles, certain that she’s made the right decision, more sure of this than anything she's done in a long time.

Korren pulls his hand back and she can feel the magic settling. A part of her wants to immediately look down at her new marking, but she resists the urge, instead smiling up at her father. “Thank you.”

“When I saw you in Pyrah, you were in such despair,” he says. “You seemed so lost and in so much pain, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t do anything to help you.”

She remembers being in Pyrah, how confused and scared she was at that time. She remembers what had happened in the days before Pyrah, Vex’s death, and being left alone after sharing her fears about her future with Vax. She had never felt quite so broken.

Thinking of how happy she is with Vax now, it seems like a lifetime ago.

“You did help me,” she tells him. “What you said to me, it did help. I was so confused, so scared of losing him and thinking about how, no matter what, I eventually would. I didn’t want to let myself be happy with him because I didn’t want it to hurt when I lost him. What you said in Pyrah, I thought about it a lot and it did help.”

Her response clearly makes him happy, his smile reaching his eyes. “It’s good to know that sometimes you still need me.”

“I’ll always need you.” Keyleth throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly, and he returns the embrace, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, holding her to his chest. She sinks into the feeling of being held by her father, wanting to be able to remember it with perfect clarity until she sees him again.

“I have to get back,” Korren says after a long moment, pulling back to look down at her.

“Yeah,” she says, knowing she needs to go, too , but still unable to push down her disappointment that she can’t stay with her father for longer. “If I don’t get some more rest I’m going to be useless when we go after Raishan.”

He cups her cheek in his large hand. “I have faith that you’ll succeed.”

It’s such a simple statement, but tears spring to her eyes, her father’s belief in her meaning everything.

Leaning forward, he wraps his arms around her one last time, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispers.

“I love you, too,” he says. “And I’m so proud of you.”

Keyleth walks back to the Sun Tree with him and watches as he approaches. “Give Vax'ildan my regards,” he says, the shadow of a smirk playing around the edges of his lips, before turning back to walk through the portal his magic had opened in the tree.

* * *

“Hey,” Vax says, his attention shooting to her as soon as she opens the door. “How’d it go? Are you okay?”

“What are you doing?” she asks. “I told you not to wait up.” He’s sitting on the bed, the blankets pulled up to his waist, one of her potion making books open on his lap.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Learning how to make potions?” she says, motioning to the book.

He looks down, a sheepish smile on his face. “I thought, 'hey, you know, I have some magic now that I’m the Raven Queen’s Champion. Maybe this will make some sense to me.’”

“And?”

“Yeah, I don’t understand any of it.”

Keyleth chuckles. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t either.”

“Hey,” he says, watching her take of her robe and drape it over the chair of the vanity.

She looks over at him, seeing him shut the book in his lap and place it on the table beside the bed. “How’d it go?” he repeats, his eyebrows raising.

“It went fine,” she says, smiling as she walks toward the bed.

Vax eyes her as she climbs in next to him, his arms going around her automatically as she scoots close to him. “Just fine?”

“It was really good. I’m glad I got the chance to talk to him. I feel better now.”

“See?” he says. “I told you so.”

She smiles at him, a happy warmth spreading through her chest.  "I love you.“

He seems a little stunned a the sudden shift in conversation, but he smiles back. "I love you, too,” he whispers, leaning in to capture her lips in a sweet kiss.

Keyleth takes his face in her hands, deepening the kiss, trying to pour all the love she feels for him into it. Vax groans, pulling her closer before pushing her back against the pillows. His lips pull away from hers, leaving a line of kisses down her jaw before dragging them down the side of her neck, stopping to nuzzle at the space where her neck and shoulder meet before continuing their downward path. When he meets the collar of his shirt that she’s wearing, her pushes it aside with his finger, his lips grazing over her collar bone before pulling back. His eyes are locked on the new mark on her chest, tracing over the dark rings that rest over her heart, two lines coming out of the rings that stretch up toward her collar bone.

His fingers brush softly over the mark, delicately tracing the slightly raised skin. “This is new.”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “My father just gave it to me. I asked him to give it to me.”

He looks up at her, his brow creased in confusion. “What is it?”

“It’s the mark of tamau,” she explains, keeping her voice in a quiet whisper, worried that if she says it louder her voice will start to shake. “It’s a mark of binding. It’s given to the Ashari when…” she takes in a deep breath, calming her sudden bout of nerves. “When they find the person they want to spend the rest of their life with.”

Vax’s jaw drops as he looks at her, stunned. After a long moment he looks back down at the mark, following its lines with his fingers. “You asked for this?”

“I did.”

He goes quiet again as the tips of his fingers continue to stroke at her skin, but she’s sure she hears the slightest sniffle come from him.

His fingers trace over the small letters that run along one side of long mark where it extends up toward her collar bone. “What does this say?”

“'Whiua toku ngakau anake hoki koutou’,” she whispers in the language of her people. “It means 'my heart beats for you alone’.”

“Keyleth,” he breathes out, looking back up at her. The expression on his face is still stunned, but filled with so much love. It’s similar to the look he used to get, that he still gets sometimes, like he doesn’t deserve to be near her, like he’s not worth of the love she has for him.

A tear slides down his cheek and she reaches up to wipe it away. She strokes her fingers over his cheek, then down his neck, gliding her hand over his shoulder and around to his back, her fingertips dancing along the edges of his scar. “This marks you as mine,” she says, pressing into the scar lightly. She brings her other hand up to tangle with his fingers where they’re still pressed lightly against her heart and the new mark that rests over it. “And now this marks me as yours.”

Vax pulls himself up, kissing Keyleth deeply. She kisses him back with just as much feeling, her legs wrapping around him so she can hold on tight, never wanting to let go.

“I love you,” he whispers fiercely when they separate, his breath fanning out over her face. “I love you so much, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I…”

“I love you, too”, she responds. “I’ve never loved anything the way I love you.”

He moves back down, pressing his lips against the marking, her heart racing beneath his touch. Turning his head, he rests his ear against it, listening to her heartbeat.

Several long moments of silence stretch out between them, and Keyleth revels in it, in the feeling of love and happiness surrounding them.

Eventually he looks back up at her, his expression a mixture of sheepishness and sincerity. “You remember earlier today? When I asked you to go back to the theater with me?”

She nods, running her hand through the hair at his temple.

“That’s not what I wanted to ask you. I wanted to ask something different, but I… I chickened out.”

Keyleth cocks her head to the side, watching him with surprise and confusion. The idea of Vax, with his history of rushing into a danger and confessing his feelings at the least opportune of moments, chickening out seems ridiculous, but she doesn’t saying anything, choosing instead to listen patiently.

“What I really wanted to ask,” he says, stopping to take in a deep breath. “What I wanted to say…” he trails off, his voice nervous, but when he looks at her a calm seems to settle over him. “I want to marry you.”

Her eyes widen as her hand stills in his hair. She’s not exactly surprised, not really, that Vax would want to marry her. But there’s still that small part of her that, no matter how much she knows Vax loves her, still can’t believe that there’s someone who would want that with her.

“I mean,” he stutters out, and Keyleth can’t help but smile at his uncharacteristic nervousness. “When this is all over, would you marry me?”

The amused smile stretches across her face at his question. She nods, unable to give voice to her words, knowing that the only thing that would come out would be a happy sob.

Vax’s breath leaves him in a whoosh as his own smile spreads across his face. He presses his forehead to her chest, right over her new mark, and his shoulders shake with happy laughter.

She continues to run her fingers through his hair as a few happy tears escape her eyes. He looks back up at her, his expression still happy, but now with a bit of regret mixed in. “I don’t have a ring or anything.”

“I don’t need a ring,” she responds, and she means it. He loves her and he’s going to marry her. It’s such a palpable feeling, she doesn’t need a ring to know it’s true.

“But you deserve one.”

“Vax,” she says, pulling him up to her so she can look him straight in the eye without having to strain her neck. “Really. It’s fine. I don’t need a ring. All I need is you.”

He smiles before leaning down to kiss her. “Still,” he says, pressing his forehead to hers. “It is tradition after all. Once we finish off Raishan, my first priority is going to be to find you the perfect ring.”

A part of Keyleth wants to remind him that their first priority should probably be rebuilding Emon or trying to make sure that friends and allies that they’d lost touch with were still alive. But he’s so happy, so giddy, and so is she, so instead she just smiles at him. “Okay.”

Vax lets out this little laugh of disbelief, shaking his head as he gazes at her, like he’s still amazed that this is even possible, much less happening. Her fingertips stroke over his cheek as she gazes back at him, her wide, giddy smile melting into something more content, more at peace. “I love you,” she says, her fingers gliding over his lips.

“'Whiua toku ngakau anake hoki koutou’”, he responds, his voice heartfelt despite the way he stumbles over the words. Vax using the language of her people, repeating the words from her marking back to her, brings more tears to her eyes.

He chuckles. “I know I probably butchered your language,” she says, his eyes shining as he watches her.

“A little,” she replies, grinning at him. “But not too bad.”

They lay there for a long while, lost in each others’ gazes, until Keyleth yawns, loud and long, the back of her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Vax laughs at her, his forehead falling against her collar bone.  "I almost forgot,“ he says when he looks back up at her. "We’ve got a big green bitch to take down tonight.”

Keyleth nods, stretching beneath him as the drowsiness starts to kick in again. Vax groans at the sensation of her body moving beneath her, his eyes squeezing shut. “Though you are doing a really good job at making me almost forget that.”

She pauses mid-stretch, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Sorry,” she says, her grin growing.

He chuckles, rolling of of her to settle on his back beside her. She turns onto her side, pressing herself into him, her arm stretching across his chest, her hand resting over his heart.

“Hey,” he says quietly a few minutes later, pulling her back from the edges of sleep.

“Hmm?”

“Can I get one of those? One of those markings? I mean, I know I’m not a tribe member yet, but when I come to live in Zephra…”

She lifts her head from his chest to look at him, her sight a bit blurry from how tired she is.

“I mean, I know I’ve got the your handprint on my back,” he continues, almost stammering. “But I’d kind of like us to… I don’t know… match.”

Keyleth smiles at him, touched by the thought.

“I just… didn’t know if I had to be an Ashari before I could get one.”

She leans up and leaves a light kiss on his lips. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

He smiles back at her, a hand running through her hair, down her back, and coming to settle at her waist. “Sounds good.”

He kisses her again before settling back down against the pillow, his thumb stroking her hip gently. Keyleth’s nuzzles into the space between his neck and shoulder, breathing in his scent as she falls asleep.

Vax stays awake for awhile longer, his finger sweeping over Keyleth’s skin, enjoying the feeling of her breath on his neck. Tonight they’re finally going to finish this thing, and then he and Keyleth can start the rest of their lives together.


End file.
